Apple Ban Overturned by Obama Administration

In what was a huge victory for Apple, President Obama’s administration vetoed the International Trade Commission’s ban on older generation Apple products that was supposed to go into effect today. The ban would have forced Apple to stop selling the iPhone 3, 3S, 4, iPad 1 and 2 in the United States, as these devices were found to have violated a Samsung patent in June of 2013. This was the first time that an Administration has vetoed an ITC ban since 1987.

In the veto submitted by U.S. trade Representative Michael Froman, he stated that he disapproved of the earlier ruling, believing it would have led to detrimental consequences for “competitive conditions in the U.S. economy and the effect on U.S. consumers.”

Now that the ban has been reversed, the next big date for the Samsung/Apple rivalry will be August 9 when both sides appear in court once again for oral arguments on permanent injunctions from the trial that ended last August. The ITC is also expected to release its final ruling on the case filed by Apple July 2011 on whether Samsung infringed on Apple patents. This ruling too could result in a potential sales ban on older Samsung devices.